1/ No rush.
I know I am behind too on some recordings, which will get done... dunno when, but at least it's warm enough now that I don't have to preheat the car, so potentially soon.
2/ That's very understandable. And while it's exciting to see progress, I also keep reminding myself that this project won't run away. It'll still be there a bit later, when there's a better mood for it. I am a believer in doing it with inspiration - we could force ourselves into scheduled productivity, but it's supposed to be a fun thing and our best effort, and you need the right mood for that. So, as above - there's no rush. Whenever you feel like it again, it'll be there.
As for Heart - I think none of us have really had the energy to quite master it. Whenever we're ready, we'll give it a go.
3/ The Youtube videos are a mystery. I got no clue. But, again, no rush.
4/ So I haven't even heard of this Sophia before, so I looked up the song out of curiosity. I thought the villain was doing a pretty good job, but yeah, the hero just goes "I have Love" and that settles it.
As for Luthien... I mean, it's a little different in the Sil and the Zong, and the Script - they are all slightly different Luthiens, and different scenarios. Finrod - well, he's the main character of the Zong, but in the Sil he is not the hero, he's the hero's best friend. So if you think of it that way, the hero is Beren, who actually gets chance after chance. But I agree that Finrod's death is somewhat unique in its, hmm, disproportionate lack of scope; an inglorious end, with his final effort spent not striking against his main foe but merely one of the many minions sent to torment him. And it would have been unsung and futile if not for Luthien. In a way it is more realistic than the other epic death scenes of The Sil - less Hector and Achilles, if you know what I mean. And I think this is reflected perfectly in the Zong, first in Prison Duet, and later in Truth ("fulfilled my part at last, not knowing of the price"). It's interesting that fan fics, Zong included,
really want to give Finrod a final moment, a final closure, just because his death is so... unsatisfactory, unresolved. It leaves you hanging, thinking - what, this is it? But yes, it is just it. And "he walks with his father in Eldamar" or some such, which suggests that he is healed, but somehow we really want to see the healing, more so with Finrod I think than most other deaths in The Sil.
But Luthien... Well, Sil Luthien has Huan, and Zong only goes to Tol Sirion, but taking the character as a whole rather than in details, there is something in common. She has Love, yes - but I think she is more than the "I have Love and that settles it" variety of hero. Specific to the Zong, it is her absolute certainty and commitment which seem to fuel her power in the face of Sauron's challenge, contrary to Finrod's guilt and doubt. But in both Zong and Silm, the real question is not whether one has love (many do), but what you do with it. Surely Luthien wasn't the only heartbroken person in the history of the world. But she gave everything to it with such devotion, with the conviction that the rules of the world themselves would change before their love fails. I sometimes ask myself if Luthien got special treatment because of her Maia powers and being the fairest maiden in the land and all that, and I conclude that the feats she performs while alive certainly rely on her powers, and the qualities of determination and courage are not limited to her alone. But the real miracle comes after her death. So I ask, would this miracle happen if it were someone else - some indifferent looking tone-deaf person with a nervous stutter and no Maia for a parent? And I think that in Tolkien's world - yes it would. I see no reason that any person, mortal or immortal, could not likewise beg for audience with the Valar and with Eru himself - and I have the sense that a determined call would not be refused. And if Eru was moved to pity and changed the rules of the universe for her, it would be for reasons other than her pretty face or pretty voice, because he is Eru and knows better than that. Love comes in many forms, and dedication to love is less rare than the Lay would have us believe, but I think such blind but utter faith that whatever happens, this love would outlast everything else, that it is more certain than every aspect of existence -
that is rare. I am not sure that the same logic could be applied to the real world - but then I am too skeptical and cautious to be Luthien in the first place. I suppose that's where the whole faith thing comes in, that you just don't accept any reality other than the one where you and your love can be together.
...Or I am very wrong, and just trying to rationalize some of the more cliche elements of the story.
Sorry, that was a lot of rambling. I'm not sure I am making any sense anymore.
But on a slightly tangential note, I find it interesting too how we react to the outcome of the miracle - Beren and Luthien returning to life but Luthien giving up her immortality. There it is: "giving up" immortality - when, in reality, within the schemata of the legendarium, she is not giving anything up, she is
receiving the Gift. And of course we read it as her sacrifice, and how mortals of ME would interpret it as a sacrifice as well - but it's interesting how that would be perceived by Elves, and by Luthien herself. The Script was leaning heavily toward the "giving up" viewpoint on both counts. I don't recall that The Sil ascribes it any judgement one way or the other that could not be said to come from "mortal retellings" though. Would the Elves of Doriath see it as a loss, or as a gain? How about Elves in Aman, who heard the tale but have not been exposed to as much of Morgoth's influence? Would Luthien see it as giving something up? I suppose that taps more into the question of how Elves perceive death - and if, perhaps, there were ever any Elves who were jealous of the mortals for being able to leave the world.
(One day I will translate Dawn, which is another great fan fic on the topic which offers some interesting perspectives too, and we can compile observations on how fics tend to treat all of these issues
)